You must automate deployments for a serverless, event-driven application. You need reusable infrastructure templates, the ability to test the application locally before deployment, and to include infrastructure changes within an existing AWS CodePipeline pipeline. Which approach satisfies these requirements?

AWS SAM (Serverless Application Model) is an extension of CloudFormation specifically designed for serverless applications. It provides a simplified syntax for defining serverless resources like Lambda functions, APIs, and DynamoDB tables, addressing the need for reusable infrastructure templates. The AWS SAM CLI allows for local testing and debugging of serverless applications, fulfilling that requirement. SAM templates can be easily integrated into existing AWS CodePipeline pipelines by adding build stages that execute sam build and deploy stages that execute sam deploy commands. Incorrect options: AWS Step Functions is for orchestrating workflows, not defining infrastructure. While CloudFormation can define infrastructure, SAM offers a more streamlined experience for serverless applications and direct local testing capabilities not inherent to raw CloudFormation. Using an automated script outside CodePipeline would bypass the existing pipeline's structure and benefits.